The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that automakers in Japan will now see Canada cut its tariff on vehicles imported from outside North America. The Globe's Greg Keenan writes that Canada's levy will be phased out over five years if the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement is ratified, providing a level playing field for Japanese automakers with rivals from South Korea and Europe. Whether Canadian car buyers will see prices fall is an open question that automakers refused to respond to or delayed answering pending further study of the deal. Honda Canada is the exception. It imports only about 200 vehicles a year from Japan so the tariff cut would have scant impact. The bigger question is the impact the deal will have on Canada's auto-parts industry and whether it will quicken the trend of auto investment bypassing Canada in favour of Mexico and the United States. Mr. Keenan says the trade deal is good for large companies that have easy access to capital, such as Linamar, Magna International and Martinrea International. The deal, however, is not so good for smaller auto-parts makers. Unnamed industry observers are dubious the deal is good for General Motors in Canada.